


Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair

by Not-Tea (HiddenPage)



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gertrude & Jon swap fic, Jon technically dies, M/M, Unhappy Ending, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26099980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenPage/pseuds/Not-Tea
Summary: Jonathan Sims manages to kill the Grinning Wheel that killed Angus Stacy, and so becomes the next Archivist. In the years that follow he has a great many conversations with the man who started life as Jonah Magnus, these are but a few of them.Gertrude & Jon swap fic
Relationships: Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, James Wright/Jonathan Sims
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32
Collections: Jonelias Week 2020





	Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is a couple of hours late, but here is my day 1 fic for Jonelias week! Prompt is Pre-Canon, which considering this AU takes place entirely pre-canon, technically works!

Jonathan Sims was not Director Richard Mendelson’s first choice for his next Archivist. It was no fault of his, of course, Jonathan had the drive and the thirst for knowledge, however, the coming years would be filled with their opponents’ plans coming together, and Jonathan simply didn’t have the grit to last through it.

Or at least Richard had thought that before Jon had used a lighter and a can of Miss Fiona Law’s hairspray as a rudimentary flamethrower and managed to kill the Grinning Wheel while Fiona laid collapsed on the floor behind him.

Richard himself had been safe in his office, of course, such things were generally beneath him. He would have interceded of course if the monster had actually threatened the Archive, however thankfully Mr. Sims had dealt with it before things had reached that point.

Jonathan had been injured by his encounter, unfortunately, a long deep scar that from his knee to his thigh, an injury that, unfortunately, necessitated the use of a cane, but Richard could work with that.

Jonathan had seemed confused by being sent upstairs after he returned from medical leave. He had seemed even more apprehensive when Richard had informed him of his promotion, but eventually, Jon had agreed and signed all the necessary paperwork.

It was a couple of weeks later that Richard stepped down and James Wright took his place, and Jon was far to busy getting the Archives organized to even give the change the slightest thought.

\---

“If Mr. Delano wants information Jon, then he must search it out.” James smiled while gesturing with his wine glass. “It is our job to do such things, information just handed over, doesn’t exactly suit our patron, does it?”

Jon sighed massaging his forehead, “If that’s true why invite me here? You could have told me that in your office.”

James motioned towards Jon’s food and Jon glared slightly before picking up his fork.

“Really Jon, I am worried for you, you are barely eating, barely sleeping, and still pushing yourself after each new threat.” James cut a strip of steak as he talked while watching Jon spear a sprig of asparagus with his fork as if it had insulted him somehow. “Taking care of yourself is important. Let Mr. Delano handle his own problems.”

If anything, Jon looked even angrier at that, taking a sip of water to wash down his food before responding. “He’s my assistant, I’m doing my job in helping him research.”

He looks handsome like this, angry and protective, it’s almost easy to see the man that the rest of their world imagines him as, the hero that saves the small defenseless mortals from the shadow in the dark. The man that the monsters fear. But James had always been able to see past the Archivist to Jon beneath.

“Tell me Jon what will you do if he does find what he seeks?” James asked him after a moment, and Jon’s bravo leaves him as he seems to fold in slightly on himself. “Will you sacrifice whatever needs to be sacrificed to free him?”

“He has a right to choose, James,” Jon said angrily perhaps slightly too loud for the very upscale restaurant that they found themselves in, but wisely no one even looked their way.

“He did, when you asked him to be your assistant, he chose, when he married Ms. Mary Keay, he chose, even now as he is searching for a way out of what binds him, he is choosing.” James moved a hand to cover Jon’s own hand.

“Shouldn’t you be respecting his choice?”

\---

“You know Jon, your department does have funds allocated for an intern.” Elias came up behind him, silently of course, although he doubted Jon could truly be surprised anymore in the heart of the Archives. Especially now that the cobwebs had been brushed away.

Jon’s hands, which had been absent-mindedly sorting statements stopped at Elias’s voice. He didn’t lookup.

“No.”

Elias smiled, sitting gracefully into the chair opposite from Jon, a chair that was still warm from the teenager who he had passed leaving the Archive.

“Oh, come now Jon, a teenager all alone in the world, with his history? Any other adults in his life thinking him a murderer? Touched by so many powers already? I give it a year before he’s claimed by one of the books he seeks to destroy.” Elias leans forward, his eyes tracing what little he could see of Jon’s expression. “Better us than someone else.”

Jon finally looked up, with his long grey hair in a bun and the heavy lines on his face, he looked old. It was strange to think that currently, Jon was the older of the two of them.

“No, Gerry will not be joining the Institute.” Jon stood one hand bracing against his desk for leverage, while the other reached for his cane.

Elias glanced over the cane, it was new, a polished dark wood with a hidden button under the handle, that would release a small blade in emergencies. A gift from a rather close ally of Jon’s, who Jon kept up a frequent correspondence with.

Even as Jon’s hand wrapped around the handle, it brought thoughts to Jon’s mind of the man who had gifted it, of long nights checking leads, arguing about theories and deadly fights where the only reassurance was the other man’s back against Jons’.

Elias frowned, Adelard Dekker really was a bad influence on _his_ Archivist.

“Jon, if you want to protect him, the Eye is the best way to do so. He has a talent for it, it is already sharpening his gaze, you might as well make it formal.” Elias stood as well, taking a step closer to Jon whose gaze fell to the floor, conflicted.

“It’s not going to happen. Eric would-“ Jon stops his voice catching, as Jon’s thoughts go the assistants that he believes he failed. “I am allowing Gerry to work with me because information can protect him, I’m not allowing a teenager to tie himself to this world.”

“Oh Jon, I believe that you’re far too late for that,” Elias responds as he turns toward the door.

\---

When Elias entered the Archives, a firearm in his hand, Jon had his back to the door. He was surrounded by torn statements, scattered on the floor.

“Jon, really.” Elias found himself saying, “Some of those are priceless.”

Jon turned slowly to look at Elias, his hair was down, it fell to his shoulders like a silver waterfall. Blood dripped from Jon’s nose, a punishment from their God for the destruction of knowledge most likely.

“Really? You’re complaining about the statements?” Jon sounded incredulous, taking a step forward, leaning heavily on his cane. “I know you were watching, all this work, all those rituals stopped, for nothing.”

Elias paused, “Not necessary for nothing, Rituals failed do seem to bring some benefit to those who survive, you likely saved us from more annoying enemies down the line.”

Jon scoffed and brought his cane down hard on a statement, tearing it slightly, Jon almost managed to hide his answering flinch as their master punished his behavior.

Jon shifted throwing back his head and staring at the ceiling for a moment before turning back to Elias. “You would know about failed ritual wouldn’t though?” Jon asked something dangerous in his voice. “After all you were part of one, **_weren’t you Jonah Magnus_**?”

The shuddering gasp that came out of Elias’s mouth was quite undignified. He would have been mortified if anyone beyond his Archivist had been around to hear it. He only just managed to stop himself from answering.

“Ah, Jon you’ve really done your research.” Elias manages to choke out after a moment, Jon’s eyes not having moved from him.

“It wasn’t hard, you didn’t exactly go out of your way to hide Elias Bouchard’s overnight turnaround,” Jon said coldly, stepping even closer toward him.

As Jon stepped toward him, his cane in hand, Elias brought up the gun, level to Jon’s chest. Jon eyed it carefully, this certainly wasn’t the first time that he had been held at gunpoint.

“Unlike you to get your hands dirty,” Jon said dryly, “Well if you’re here to kill me you should go ahead because whatever plan you have, I won’t be going along with it.”

Elias sighed as if Jon was being overly stubborn, and then in a swift moment pulled the gun up and fired.

Jon fell back, his cane scattering across the floor. In the moment before he hit the floor, he almost looked hurt, as if he felt betrayed, but that look disappeared when he hit his head roughly against his desk as he fell, knocking him out.

The blood loss would take him to the End, but the Eye's gaze on him would keep him tied to their world. At least until Jon made his decision.

“Don’t worry Jon, when you wake up, we will be one step closer,” Elias reassured him, knelt beside him. He looked into Jon’s dreams and found Jon deep in the dream he had been having every night for fifty years. Walking his prey’s nightmares as the Eye watched from on high.

Elias stood, he had things to do and plans to set up. Jon had done him a great boon by figuring out the mystery of why no ritual had worked. Elias already had plans for a new one, one in which a marked Archivist would play the most important role. But pieces would need to be moved in to place.

He would need to get rid of the gun of course, and make sure the camera footage didn’t show his journey down to the archives, but Jon would keep until then. Once he was ready, he would “find” Jon and call the hospital, Jon would be fine there until he woke up as long as Elias kept him under a close watch for the enemies that Jon had made them over the years.

He turned from Jon, and walked slowly to the door, opening it swiftly, before he stopped suddenly with a sudden lurch.

The Institute shuddered. Those untouched wouldn’t be able to feel it of course, but those tied to the eye would Know what had happened no matter where they were. One of the pillars of the Eye was gone.

Elias Bouchard, who was once James, was once Richard, who was Jonah Magnus had felt many Archivists die in his time. Very few were felt this strongly, as the Eye was rejected by what was supposed to be it’s most beloved acolyte, rejected by a being that had fed it for half a century.

Elias turned on his heel back into the archives, back toward Jon. Towards Jon’s body. Looking down at it, watching the blood pour from it and coat the torn statements surrounding Jon, Elias felt numb.

Jon was supposed to survive.

He had just need to be marked by the End, one of the few fears Jon had never actually had a confrontation with. He was supposed to eventually fully let himself choose their master, and take his place an Avatar of the Eye.

Jon wasn’t supposed to choose death.

Jon wasn’t allowed to choose death.

Elias found his eyes rise to Jon’s desk. On the bookshelf behind it sat a dark leather book, old and bloodstained. Jon had kept it after freeing Gerald Keay from his mother’s ghost and it had sat there unused for years.

He would have to choose a new Archivist still, Jon’s rejection of their master had seen to that. But Elias had never liked to let go of useful things, and Jon had been so _useful_ over the years.

Jonah Magnus had always been sentimental, and even after this newest betrayal of Jon’s, he still found himself rather fond of the man.

\---

When choosing an Archivist, especially when choosing one specifically for the task that Elias had ready for them, one must pick carefully.

Sasha James was smart, she was tenacious, she had a thirst for knowledge that would throw her directly into danger. She already had slight hints of marks from a few encounters in Artifact Storage.

She also reminded him a great deal of a young man he had met two lifetimes ago.

Gertrude Robinson on the other hand was cunning, she didn’t throw herself into danger, instead, she waited and watched those around her. She only had one mark, from an instance from when she was young with a book from Jurgen Leitner’s library. She had a thirst for information as well, Elias wouldn’t be considering her for the role if she didn’t, but her thirst was a parched throat compared to Sasha James’s unquenching need.

She was nothing like Jon.

Elias sent the memo informing Gertrude of a meeting between the two of them, scheduled for the next day. He would need time to prepare her new contract.

Pulling out the papers he allowed himself to brush the spine of the book that rested in the same drawer. The newest page of the book hadn’t exactly accepted his placement happily, but Elias was confident that Jon would grow used to it in time.

**Author's Note:**

> Message me at my Tumblr at https://the-nottea-was-tentacles.tumblr.com/


End file.
